“Airobotics, the Israeli startup that built the world’s first fully automated drone, announced today the appointment of Richard Wooldridge as the company’s new Chief Operating Officer,” says a company press release. “As the first company to be granted an aviation authority to fly drones without a human pilot, Airobotics welcomes Richard to expand on its years of unique aerospace design and advanced systems for end users.”

The addition adds more big name recognition to the Israeli team, which already holds leading names in the industry. CEO and co-founder Ran Krauss is a brilliant young engineer and entrepreneur: Airobotics is his fourth company. The Airobotics board features players from Google, Waze, and Blue Run Ventures. The addition of a veteran corporate leader to the team is indicative of company direction. With the world’s first authorizations for truly autonomous drones and a working product in a quickly expanding industry, it’s all about scaling up – and that’s expertise that Wooldridge provides.

“Richard has over two decades of managerial experience in the tech industry, leading teams at corporate companies to drive business and enhance product operations and innovation, from the startup stage to commercialization,” says the release. “Richard served as the COO/GTM Lead at Facebook’s Building 8 and Google’s Advanced Technology and Products Group (ATAP). Both are highly prestigious consumer hardware teams responsible for innovative consumer electronics. His extensive corporate expertise in hardware manufacturing and supply chain management will contribute to Airobotics’ expansion and scale.”

In addition to his most recent positions in Silicon Valley, Wooldridge has a resume loaded with big name brands. He was VP of Global Supply Chain at Motorola, VP of Operations and Logistics at Barns and Nobles, SVP of Global Operations and Consumer Electronics at Flex, and SVP of Supply Chain at Nokia. He’s used to large scale and global marketplace businesses.

“We’re very happy to have Richard on board during this exciting time of growth in our company,” said Ran Krauss, CEO and Co-Founder of Airobotics. “After securing $42.5 million in our latest funding round, we’ve begun to expand to new countries around the world and we’re continually working with new companies in various industrial fields. Richard is one of the world’s experts in scaling-up global business and his expertise will be vital as we enter our next phase of expansion.”

“I’m excited to join the Airobotics team and dive into the world of automated drones, that’s projected to have significant growth in the upcoming years,” said Richard Wooldridge. “After personally investing in the company for many years and serving on Airobotics’ board of directors, I’ve witnessed firsthand how Airobotics has distinguished itself as the leader in automated drone solutions. I’m looking forward to helping navigate this startup’s future innovation.”

Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.Email Miriam
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